Morel mania in full swing in Southwest Michigan

Courtesy photoVic Eichler, of Three Rivers, holds up a freshly picked morel mushroom his wife, Ruth, found at the base of an old apple tree on their property Wednesday morning. Morels are selling at some area markets for as much as $39.99 per pound.

Gloria Tiller wouldn’t get any more specific than Alamo Township, laughing when questioned about where she collected the more than four pounds of morel mushrooms in her fridge.

Her property is her prime hunting ground, and like most who seek out the spring delicacy, she and her husband, James, keep their best spots a closely guarded secret.

“We’ve had a bumper year this year, it’s been amazing,” Tiller said on Friday, adding that the morning’s rain would produce another solid day of “shrooming,” as she calls it. “By tonight or tomorrow morning, we’re going to have a huge batch.”

The morel mushroom season is peaking in Southwest Michigan, and Tiller expects to find them for about one more week if the weather doesn’t heat up too quickly. She said she found her first one of the year about two weeks ago, earlier than usual.

“Normally, you see them at Mother’s Day,” she said.

Farther north, the season will extend a little longer. The festivals are currently under way, with the Mesick Mushroom Festival ending today and the 50th Annual National Morel Mushroom Festival in Boyne City kicking off Thursday.

“There are people from all over the country who will be at this national morel mushroom festival,” said Vic Eichler, of Three Rivers, who recently published a book entitled, “Morel Mushrooms in Michigan and Other Great Lakes States.”

Both Eichler and a load of morels from the Boyne City festival will be at Bacchus Wine and Spirits on May 18. Eichler will be signing books, and the mushrooms will be available for purchase at a price yet to be determined. They are currently in stock across the street at Sawall Health Foods, selling for $39.99 per pound. Andy Bills, who works in produce at D&W Fresh Markets on Parkview Avenue, said his store received a shipment from its supplier in Grand Rapids on Wednesday, and is also selling them for $39.99.

“We usually have a hard time keeping them in stock,” said Bills, adding that the company has carried morels for about 10 years.

For those not willing or able to pony up the steep price for the rare mushroom, a little time and effort may yield a healthy haul, but there are no guarantees — the mushroom can be elusive.

Eichler, who with his wife, Ruth, find them on their property between Three Rivers and Marcellus, seldom find more than two when making the rounds of the old apple trees on their land.

Tiller, who has great luck locating them around apple trees and dying elm trees on her property, spent two hours searching 32 acres of similar landscape and conditions in Barry County last weekend, with nothing to show for it.

“There wasn’t a single mushroom,” she said.

For most hunters, there’s no exact science to finding the mother lode, but there are ways to increase the chances of a big discovery.

First and foremost, Tiller said, make sure you’re legal.

“Make sure that you’re on property you’re supposed to be on,” she said. “Don’t trespass.”

Next, hunters will want to look not for the mushrooms themselves, which are difficult to spot, but for the types of trees that typically harbor them.

“A broad survey would indicate old apple orchards and dying elm trees, but other people would say, ‘Oh, ash trees are the best, or tulip poplars are the best,” Eichler said. “We’ve got over 60 apple trees on our property. Probably only five or six of them are really old, and those are the only ones I’ve ever found them under.”

It’s important to watch out for false morels, which are not edible and can be extremely toxic. Real morels will be hollow on the inside, and the bottom edge of the cap attaches to the stem.

“Hollow means hollow — I mean, they are totally hollow,” Eichler said. “That indicates they are safe to eat.”

To avoid picking the wrong type, it helps to start out with an experienced mushroomer.

As far as preparing them once you've found some, there are infinite ways to eat them, but simple sauté is the best, Ruth Eichler said.

“Just a little butter, little salt,” she said.

Tiller, on Friday, was planning to head home to do something with the batch of morels in her refrigerator, some designated for a dinner she planned to host today.